February 2026 Newsletter
- Claire Christensen
- Feb 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 2
Supplementing Vitamin D in your Herd
Claire Christensen, Purchasing & Logistics
Everyone knows the age-old saying of Vitamin D coming from the Sun, and as winter is occurring, we farmers can definitely feel the need for some rays during this chilly, dark winter. Don’t forget to stay vigilant with your vitamin D levels in your herds during this time. Vitamin D supports overall growth, bone health, and immune support. This occurs as Vitamin D helps calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism in the body. Over the past 20-30 years, swine production has completely moved indoors, with confinement production—this means swine producers always have to work hard to prevent vitamin D deficiencies with supplementation in their herds due to the lack of natural sunlight.
A recent study conducted by the University of Copenhagen worked on supplementing photoperiod (the duration of light in a 24-hour cycle) with UVB lighting on pigs. The lighting trial occurred with two sets of pigs, both fed the necessary vitamin D—with a blind group and a group that received UBV lighting every time they walked up to the feeders. The study showed results of an increase in Vitamin D! Despite the results, these UVB lights certainly do not replace the value of sunrays, as the increase was not enough vitamin D to maintain the proper levels in sows
While light bulbs may not be the most economical solution, Spencer Ag carries multiple Vitamin D products, a notable one being Emcelle—D3 Liquid. This is a treatment to help increase vitamin levels via water consumption. “Vitamin D activity is provided as cholecalciferol, an oily liquid that is micellized, making this oil-soluble vitamin completely water-soluble. The micellization process enhances the ability of animals to utilize vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins. The process allows solubilized fat-soluble vitamins to be absorbed more readily than dry, oil-based, or emulsion-forms of fat-soluble vitamins” per Stuart Products.
Talk to your field marketer today to see if this is the best product for your herd!
Staff Excitement!
We couldn’t be prouder of the staff at Spencer Ag Center, but a few of these accomplishments stood out to us! We had to share with you things happening lately!
New Faces:
Dan Regnier is our newest field marketer at Spencer Ag Center. Dan’s primary background is ingredient sales with previous experience at Consumer’s Supply! We are excited to have Dan on our team!
Brent Pillars is the most recent addition to our truck drivers. Brent is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to driving experience. He has had a background in over-the-road driving, bulk truck, and prior experience at AgState. We are blessed to have Brent as a part of our team!
Work Anniversaries:
Jen Doely (Office Manager) - 5 years at Spencer Ag
Jake Nutt (Truck Driver) - 10 years
Julie Lange (Bookkeeping) - 10 years
Dale Irmiter (Operations Manager) - 10 years
Joel Thompson (Field Marketer) - 20 years
Ryan Phillips (Purchasing) - 25 years
Connie Purchase (Record Keeping) - 25 years
Retirements:
Greg Lear, partner, has retired as of December 2025. Greg has been impactful to the origination of Spencer Ag Center as a partner and as an original employee of Sioux Nation Ag Center since 2001. We are sad to see him retire, but you know Greg — he’s gotta stay busy! :) These days he is focusing his time on the Purple Pursuit Show Feed side of the business, Clay County Fair Board, and spending his time with show pigs and goats on his son’s acreage!
Paul Behrens recently retired as of December 2025, too! Paul has been monumental to the success of our business with wise advice and major skills when it comes to purchasing and rebates. He’s been with us since the start of Spencer Ag Center! Recently, he has trained Casey Lawson as his new “purchasing protégé”! With his newfound free time -- family, faith, and fishing are a requirement. Congratulations, Paul!
We appreciate Greg and Paul’s service to Spencer Ag!
Congratulations to the Seaman family!
Lee and Carol Seaman of Spencer were named Clay County Cattlemen's 2026 Producer of the Year. We are proud to call the Seaman's friends. They are also the parents of one of our own - Chad Seaman, Spencer Ag Center Field Marketer.
Congratulations to Harvey Williams (Field Marketer) and board president Keith Kruse for receiving the Outreach Achievement award on behalf of Clay County Pork Producers at Iowa Pork’s Annual Luncheon during the 2026 Iowa Pork Congress. Harvey worked hard to develop a local restaurant outreach program to promote pork-serving restaurants in Clay County!
Congrats to Dr. Hagan!
Dr. Hagan recently purchased the All Pets Animal Clinic in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Ryan has been working at Spencer Ag Center part-time to provide support to our full-time staff for a few years now. In addition to running his new private small animal practice, he will continue to help serve livestock/large animals through Spencer Ag Center.
Supporting the Clay County Pals Mentorship Program!
A gaggle of young artists - mentees and adult mentors - camped out in Spencer Ag Center's conference room to 'Paint Your PAL'. A good time was had by all, and the grand reveals were a hoot. Afterwards, the entourage enjoyed a tour of the store!
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